1) “One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga,” 8 p.m. Sunday, CBS. Two weeks after triumphing with Adele, CBS has two more of the all-time greats. On his 95th birthday, Bennett had what’s expected to be his final public concert; Alzheimer’s has taken other memories, but he still does songs perfectly. In Radio City Music Hall, his friend Gaga, 35, does four potent jazz/pop songs, then brings him on. Backed by gifted musicians – his quartet, her quintet and an orchestra – both stars (shown here at a previous event) soar.
2) “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, NBC, CBS and Peacock. Last year, this was a TV-only event, confined to one block. Now it sprawls anew, with 10 bands. 28 floats, 36 inflatables, 800 clowns and lots of singers, including Kristin Chenoweth, Nelly and Jimmie Allen. Networks also have separate performances early – on NBC, Carrie Underwood and the casts of “Annie Live” and Broadway’s “Six,” “Wicked” and “Moulin Rouge”; on CBS, “Chicago” and ”Waitress.:
3) Post-parade flurry, Thursday. Many people will stick to NBC for the National Dog Show at noon and a parade rerun at 2. Others switch to football – Bears-Lions, 9:30 a.m. PT on Fox; Raiders-Cowboys, 1:30 p.m., CBS; Bills-Saints, 5:20 p.m., NBC. At night, ABC has magician Adam Trent at 8 and two hours of Thanksgiving clips on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at 9. Fox has “World Pet Games” from 8-10; others have reruns, including (8 p.m.,CW) the so-so “Scooby Doo, Where Are You Now?”
4) “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 8 p.m. Friday, NBC. One of TV’s finest moments returns. This started with Dr. Seuss’ warm and witty book; in 1966, Chuck Jones (the genius behind Road Runner and many Bugs Bunny cartoons) brilliantly animated it. He included Boris Karloff as the narrator, with Thor Ravenscoft (the voice of Tony the Tiger) booming a song about the mean one, Mr. Grinch. NBC will also air it on Christmas; in between, cable will have it Dec. 11 on TBS and then Dec. 17 on TNT.
5) “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 8 p.m. today, CBS. Here’s an early start for this classic. It will return to CBS on Dec. 19 and be on Freeform often. There are more cartoons: At 8 p.m. Friday, CBS has “Frosty” and ABC has “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” … at 9, CW has “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” … and after “Grinch,” NBC has “5 More Sleeps ‘Til Christmas” and “Trolls: Holiday in Harmony.” On Saturday, CBS has “Robbie the Reindeer” at 8 and “The Story of Santa Claus” at 9.
6) “Dancing With the Stars” finale 8-10 p.m. today, ABC. Eleven stars (semi-stars?) have been ousted, including three actors, two singers, a wrestler, a gymnast and four TV/internet personalities. Now four remain: Iman Shumpert has already won one championship: A 6-foot-5 guard, he was a reserve on LeBron James’ 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. He faces “The Talk” co-host Amanda Kloots, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby and singer-dancer JoJo Siwa, 18, who is in the show’s first same-sex duo.
7) “Secrets of the Dead,” 10 p.m. Wednesday, PBS. Father Marius Zerafa’s first 92 years have been busy. A painter and sculptor, he studied at Oxford and Sorbonne and created Malta’s national art museum. Malta is where Caravaggio, the painter, fled in 1607 to escape murder charges. He left Malta the next year, but some of his best paintings are there; one was stolen in 1984. Three years later – after Zerafa negotiated for eight months – it was found and arrests were made. It’s a fun story, lushly filmed.
8) “Christmas in Tune” and “Miracle in Motor City,” 8-10 p.m. Friday and Sunday, Lifetime. A mini-trend involves inserting songs into Christmas plots. Both of these films do that: First, Georgia (Reba McEntire) must create a concert with her ex-boyfriend (John Schneider); then Amber (Tia Mowry-Hardrict) promises Smokey Robinson will sing at a Detroit church pageant. Meanwhile, Hallmark’s 8 p.m. films include Lacey Chabert (in Ireland) on Saturday and Candace Cameron Bure on Sunday.
9) “Nash Bridges,” 9-11 p.m. Saturday, USA; and “The Waltons: Homecoming,” 8-10 p.m. Sunday, CW. TV is busy recycling its past hits. Recently, we had the first of several “Highway to Heaven” movies; now we get a “Nash Bridges” that could lead to more … and a remake of a movie that debuted 50 years ago, leading to the “Waltons” series. “Nash Bridges” is the only one to keep its original cast: Don Johnson, 71, and Cheech Marin, 75, star, with Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, 43, as Nash’s daughter.
10) “The Hot Zone: Anthrax,” 9-11 p.m. Sunday, National Geographic. After 9/11, a new panic began: Lethal anthrax was being sent by mail. This three-night mini-series is an absorbing mystery; resist looking things up and simply let the twists wash by. Harry Hamlin is a cartoonish version of Tom Brokaw, but Daniel Dae Kim is solid as the investigator and Tony Goldwyn is amazing. Past roles have put him in the White House and on the moon; now he’s great as a smart-but-strange anthrax expert.